Facebook (Makana Local Municipality)
The battle to get the Makana Municipality financially back on track took another step forward on Thursday when the City's Financial Recovery Plan was made an order of the court.
The Makana Residents Association, the Grahamstown Business Forum and the Unemployed People's Movement said they would vigorously monitor the implementation of the order by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
They said this had been a five-year-long battle against incompetence in local government, but now there's light at the end of the tunnel.
The organisation added that the order does not prevent the Eastern Cape Executive from dissolving the Makana Council, should it decide that such a step becomes necessary.
The court order includes reporting deadlines for the Eastern Cape MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Xolile Nqatha.
Bhisho, through his office, must make three-monthly reports to the High Court in Makhanda on the progress of the implementation of the Financial Recovery Plan.
The order also allows the Unemployed People's Movement within 20 days notice, to apply to the same Court if these reports do not reflect sufficient progress.
The MEC in turn has the same opportunity to approach the court for an order dispensing with the duty to report, if the intervention has achieved the desired outcome or if this is unable to be achieved.
In 2020 the Grahamstown High Court ruled in favour of dissolving the Council.
